I came back yesterday to share some good news but then I saw this
post...! I feel both surprised and not-- not surprised because CNet has
had such big changes before, but surprised that this type of (fairly
drastic) change was done without any warning whatsoever. I didn't take
it totally seriously considering it was April Fool's Day, but here we
are, still with voter markers under our names...

So I just want to address this message to the CNet Admins:

Thank you. Thank you so, so, SO much for all the financial support
you've provided me throughout my college career. I can honestly and
truly say I wouldn't have graduated on time without your scholarships.

I was really lucky three times, here:

First when I found this site (so hard to do!)

Second when I won the tournament (still one of the happiest days of my life)

and thirdly when I found some really stellar individuals who would have
the conversations I so desperately wanted to have about the world, life,
and the mysteries about everything with me on a deep level. My writing
skills have improved so much due to this site, and opened up a door of
possibility in my mind that one day I might professionally make money
from the words I type. That was truly an invaluable lesson and one that
I really couldn't have learned from any other "teacher".

I suppose I was also lucky that I was allowed to compete as long as I
did, with this "graduation" coinciding with my real
graduation! (In a month :)

Now, on to that good news--I got hired! I'll be moving to Japan this
August. While I won't be able to pay off my student debt as quickly now
that CNet is gone, I will have a job that will keep me from going into
default. CNet saw me through the critical gap during my education when I
needed them most, and I am so grateful for it.

I'll be sure to continue to tell other people about this site and
encourage them to participate. With this big change, I'm sure it'll
lower the "barrier to entry" for new candidates and allow
newer people to win more frequently, and that's a good thing.

To all my fellow "alumni", it was a great pleasure debating,
discussing, and arguing about "the big questions" over the
past few years. I wish you success in your future endeavours.

I just wanted to say thank you for all of your support this week and the
past year or so when I have been competing off and on. It's been so
great to know that I have this community to talk to when I need to share
something exciting or go through an interesting news topic, as well as
the scholarship winnings which have relieved a MASSIVE amount of anxiety
I had about ordering my finances for the near future. While I am by no
means "set for life" (still have tons of loans to payback!) I
am set until I am off into a job (whatever it is) and face my first
mandatory student loan payments coming later this year (eeeeek!).

With that, I am going to take an extended break, lasting at least until
July and possibly longer, maybe until I arrive in Japan! Life has gotten
very busy again now that I am off spring break and I don't see a
"rest" for quite some time. I'll be in school, graduating,
seeing family, taking a certification course, then leaving the country,
all in the span of the next few months! Exciting, but unfortunately no
time for CNet.

I will pop back in to update y'all on my job situation and if I get
hired :P I should find out within a few weeks about that situation.

As I've said before, please feel free to friend me on facebook if you
want to stay in contact! The link is in my profile. Also, if you feel
like there is a forum that would deserve my particular and unique
attention, gimme a holler and I'll check it out if I have time.

best wishes to all of you in your current and future endeavours and on
cnet! :)

(should you wish to reply, you are more than welcome to use this as a
general "thank you" forum. what are you thankful for?)

So, as you may or may not know, INSURGENT is coming out this week. It's
the film sequel to Divergent, the (mostly forgettable) movie and book
about some futuristic dystopia where there is a test to determine
whether you belong to one of five factions, but the whole system is
ruined because there is a special snowflake who doesn't neatly fit in a
category (lol heard this one before??)

Anyway, I'm always interested in what draws people to like popular
fiction, specifically YA (Young Adult). There are two Slate articles
that tackle it from different perspectives: one that says these sorts of
stories appeal because they are sentimental
and another that says they appeal because they give us a strong sense
of belonging
. Both of these themes are examined in the light of pop fic such as The
Fault in Our Stars, Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Divergent, and others.

Which one appeals to you more? The fiction of belonging to some strong
group identity, or going through the rollercoaster of laughter and tears
that characterizes sentimental fiction? I realize most of you may be
both, but PLEASE pick one or the other as your stronger one and ask
"why" you are drawn to fiction for that reason more than
another. Side question: how many have you read? Do they have reason to
be popular, or do they rely on pressing our narrative neurological
buttons to get a contrived response?

It's a rainy, cloudy day here in Boston today. Winter is gone, for the
most part, but now that means puddles everywhere :P summer is coming, eventually...

I honestly have not even considered buying an Apple Watch, or any other
bit of “wearable” technology for that matter. At the moment,
it seems all too gimmicky with the potential to be quickly discontinued.

I went through Apple’s website for the watch and it just
doesn’t seem like there are enough unique features to justify
spending hundreds of dollars for something that is, essentially, a
novelty rather than a fundamentally useful productivity device. I mean,
there are “touches” you can send to friends,
and…fitness applications? Rudimentary gesture controls? I
don’t know, it seems extremely overpriced for something that is
closer to a children’s toy than an adult accessory. (And
that’s without considering the 17k version!?!?!)

Perhaps I have yet to “see the light”, but I just
don’t understand the appeal to any but a select cohort of
techno-enthusiasts. People who are always willing to experiment and try
the next thing--sure, this is good for them for exploring a (hopefully)
expanding field of wearable technology that is an untapped niche. Maybe
with the Watch’s visibility and popularity, we will see an
explosion of application development and R&D behind actually useful
wearables with wide market appeal (unlike this and Google Glasses and
other gadgets). I suppose I can support it in that sense, but not with
my money!

Finally, I also make a point of never buying something on its first
iteration. There are bound to be bugs that need to be worked out, and I
don’t want to pay a bunch of money to be a “beta
tester”. Plus, having a second or further iterations means the
company is actually invested in the product line as opposed to a
one-off.
I may also have a grudge against apple because they overprice all of
their products with much less functionality than cheaper alternatives
>_<

(I am a little pissed that HBO Now is only offered on Apple devices.
They want to engage a wider audience, yet they only cater to the people
who have loads of money to spend on a brand aesthetic…!)

If you get a watch, you should post a review about it and try to
convince us of the benefits (or reveal it as a novelty moneymaker!)